Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in California can make a commute last forever. Imagine it’s the dead of winter and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone-chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty, ice-encrusted snow all over the place.
This is about the time of year when you’re just about ready for spring — especially in El Dorado Hills, the snowiest place in California.
So, put on your parkas, snow boots, and gloves, and let’s go outside to see which California cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in California with Saturday Night Science, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Golden State.
87.4 inches of snow per year
El Dorado Hills is an unincorporated census-designated place located in El Dorado County, California, 22 miles east of the state capital of Sacramento. The population was 42,108 at the 2010 census, up from 18,016 at the 2000 census. This population growth is attributed through the combination of actual population increase within the 2000 CDP boundaries and expansion of the boundaries. The area of EDH was expanded from 17.9 square miles in 2000 to 48.606 square miles in 2010.
87.4 inches of snow per year
Located in
El Dorado County, California
South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, United States, in the Sierra Nevada. As its name suggests, the city is located on the southern shore of Lake Tahoe.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
87.4 inches of snow per year
Cameron Park is a census-designated place in El Dorado County, California, United States and is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 18,228 at the 2010 census, up from 14,549 at the 2000 census. Cameron Park is a community located in the Northern California Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada foothills, approximately 30miles east of Sacramento and 70miles west of South Lake Tahoe.
87.4 inches of snow per year
Diamond Springs is a census-designated place in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,037 at the 2010 census, up from 4,888 at the 2000 census. The town is registered as California Historical Landmark number 487. It lies at an elevation of 1791 feet.
87.4 inches of snow per year
Located in
El Dorado County, California
Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,389 at the 2010 census, up from 9,610 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
87.4 inches of snow per year
Pollock Pines is a census-designated place in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pollock Pines lies at an elevation of 3,980ft in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The population was 6,871 at the 2010 census, up from 4,728 at the 2000 census.
72.3 inches of snow per year
Located in
Nevada County, California
Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2000 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
72.3 inches of snow per year
Located in
Nevada County, California
The city of Grass Valley is the largest city in the western region of Nevada County, California, United States. Situated at roughly 2,500 feet elevation in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this historic northern Gold Country city is 57 miles by car from the state capitol in Sacramento, 64 miles from Sacramento International Airport, 88 miles west of Reno, Nevada, and 177 miles northeast of San Jose. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 12,860.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
72.3 inches of snow per year
Alta Sierra is a census-designated place in Nevada County, California, United States. The population was 6,911 at the 2010 census, up from 6,522 at the 2000 census.
72.3 inches of snow per year
Lake Wildwood is a census-designated place in Nevada County, California, United States. The population was 4,991 at the 2010 census, up from 4,868 at the 2000 census.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
On the map
Where California’s snowiest cities are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In California With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in California, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Golden State get the most annual snowfall.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our second time ranking the snowiest cities in California.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities: Los Angeles (0.2 inches), San Diego (1.2 inches), and San Jose (1.6 inches).
The snowiest cities in California are El Dorado Hills, South Lake Tahoe, Cameron Park, Diamond Springs, Placerville, Pollock Pines, Truckee, Grass Valley, Alta Sierra, and Lake Wildwood.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In California
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Dorado Hills | 87.4 | 43,264 |
| 2 | South Lake Tahoe | 87.4 | 21,437 |
| 3 | Cameron Park | 87.4 | 19,437 |
| 4 | Diamond Springs | 87.4 | 12,459 |
| 5 | Placerville | 87.4 | 10,471 |
| 6 | Pollock Pines | 87.4 | 6,797 |
| 7 | Truckee | 72.3 | 16,184 |
| 8 | Grass Valley | 72.3 | 12,855 |
| 9 | Alta Sierra | 72.3 | 6,624 |
| 10 | Lake Wildwood | 72.3 | 5,375 |
| 11 | Roseville | 54.3 | 126,327 |
| 12 | Rocklin | 54.3 | 59,727 |
| 13 | Lincoln | 54.3 | 45,038 |
| 14 | Granite Bay | 54.3 | 22,387 |
| 15 | North Auburn | 54.3 | 14,496 |
| 16 | Auburn | 54.3 | 13,785 |
| 17 | Loomis | 54.3 | 6,648 |
| 18 | Mammoth Lakes | 37.1 | 8,104 |
| 19 | Susanville | 33.8 | 16,048 |
| 20 | Red Bluff | 28.0 | 14,065 |
| 21 | Corning | 28.0 | 7,586 |
| 22 | Yreka | 26.7 | 7,635 |
| 23 | Rancho Calaveras | 20.4 | 6,023 |
| 24 | Linda | 15.3 | 18,256 |
| 25 | Olivehurst | 15.3 | 14,293 |
| 26 | Marysville | 15.3 | 12,161 |
| 27 | Plumas Lake | 15.3 | 6,548 |
| 28 | Redding | 14.1 | 91,063 |
| 29 | Shasta Lake | 14.1 | 10,146 |
| 30 | Anderson | 14.1 | 10,122 |
| 31 | Visalia | 13.4 | 127,842 |
| 32 | Tulare | 13.4 | 61,204 |
| 33 | Porterville | 13.4 | 55,218 |
| 34 | Dinuba | 13.4 | 23,243 |
| 35 | Lindsay | 13.4 | 12,980 |
| 36 | Farmersville | 13.4 | 10,704 |
| 37 | Exeter | 13.4 | 10,481 |
| 38 | Orosi | 13.4 | 8,796 |
| 39 | Earlimart | 13.4 | 8,709 |
| 40 | Woodlake | 13.4 | 7,525 |
| 41 | East Porterville | 13.4 | 6,395 |
| 42 | San Bernardino | 9.0 | 214,112 |
| 43 | Fontana | 9.0 | 203,677 |
| 44 | Rancho Cucamonga | 9.0 | 171,858 |
| 45 | Ontario | 9.0 | 168,218 |
| 46 | Victorville | 9.0 | 120,703 |
| 47 | Rialto | 9.0 | 102,018 |
| 48 | Hesperia | 9.0 | 92,309 |
| 49 | Chino | 9.0 | 82,208 |
| 50 | Chino Hills | 9.0 | 76,796 |
| 51 | Upland | 9.0 | 75,542 |
| 52 | Apple Valley | 9.0 | 71,083 |
| 53 | Redlands | 9.0 | 70,186 |
| 54 | Highland | 9.0 | 54,314 |
| 55 | Colton | 9.0 | 53,566 |
| 56 | Yucaipa | 9.0 | 52,739 |
| 57 | Montclair | 9.0 | 38,025 |
| 58 | Adelanto | 9.0 | 32,059 |
| 59 | Twentynine Palms | 9.0 | 25,769 |
| 60 | Bloomington | 9.0 | 24,864 |
| 61 | Loma Linda | 9.0 | 23,751 |
| 62 | Barstow | 9.0 | 23,281 |
| 63 | Yucca Valley | 9.0 | 21,258 |
| 64 | Phelan | 9.0 | 13,719 |
| 65 | Big Bear City | 9.0 | 13,535 |
| 66 | Muscoy | 9.0 | 12,417 |
| 67 | Grand Terrace | 9.0 | 12,331 |
| 68 | Lake Arrowhead | 9.0 | 11,333 |
| 69 | Mentone | 9.0 | 9,844 |
| 70 | Oak Hills | 9.0 | 9,363 |
| 71 | Crestline | 9.0 | 9,240 |
| 72 | Fort Irwin | 9.0 | 9,238 |
| 73 | Spring Valley Lake | 9.0 | 7,849 |
| 74 | Joshua Tree | 9.0 | 7,357 |
| 75 | Silver Lakes | 9.0 | 5,992 |
| 76 | Lucerne Valley | 9.0 | 5,425 |
| 77 | Big Bear Lake | 9.0 | 5,145 |
| 78 | Chico | 7.4 | 88,455 |
| 79 | Paradise | 7.4 | 26,289 |
| 80 | Oroville | 7.4 | 16,060 |
| 81 | Magalia | 7.4 | 11,306 |
| 82 | Oroville East | 7.4 | 8,136 |
| 83 | Thermalito | 7.4 | 7,119 |
| 84 | Gridley | 7.4 | 6,579 |
| 85 | South Oroville | 7.4 | 6,124 |
| 86 | Palermo | 7.4 | 5,895 |
| 87 | Durham | 7.4 | 5,637 |
| 88 | Fresno | 7.0 | 510,451 |
| 89 | Clovis | 7.0 | 100,437 |
| 90 | Reedley | 7.0 | 25,092 |
| 91 | Sanger | 7.0 | 24,700 |
| 92 | Selma | 7.0 | 24,017 |
| 93 | Coalinga | 7.0 | 16,940 |
| 94 | Parlier | 7.0 | 14,870 |
| 95 | Kerman | 7.0 | 14,285 |
| 96 | Kingsburg | 7.0 | 11,681 |
| 97 | Mendota | 7.0 | 11,402 |
| 98 | Orange Cove | 7.0 | 9,565 |
| 99 | Firebaugh | 7.0 | 8,084 |
| 100 | Huron | 7.0 | 6,792 |
Source: NOAA snowfall data via Saturday Night Science. 644 California cities ranked.
Summary
Summary: The Snowiest Cities In California For 2026
If you’re looking for the California cities that get buried in snow each winter, this is an accurate list.
The snowiest cities in California are El Dorado Hills, South Lake Tahoe, Cameron Park, Diamond Springs, Placerville, Pollock Pines, Truckee, Grass Valley, Alta Sierra, and Lake Wildwood.
